Malka totally does that! Take turns? Pshaw, who needs that? But she does the toddler-solution - if we can't take turns, we can all use the equipment at the same time - one kid sliding down the slide, two kids climbing up the slide, I'll just climb under/over you! Also, the same freaking book, the same little activity repeated till you fall over. This seems to be a toddler thing.

I am super worried about when our music class starts up again for the fall. Last year we took a baby music class and the instructor was really chill about the babies crawling around, crawling on top of the drums, etc. during class. This year we graduate to the mixed age class (with kids as old as 4 or 5) and we've already been warned that it's much more regimented, much less time for taking out and putting away instruments, low tolerance for slobber on instruments, etc. Malka does.not.sit.still.

I have many vents this week. My family organized a virtual baby shower for me since I can't travel back home for one. Yesterday, I received one of the gifts and noticed the box looked damaged, so I decided to open it early. It was totally empty -- not event a packing slip -- so someone obviously got into the package and stole the contents. I later found out that the box was supposed to contain a teddy bear. What kind of person steals a teddy bear?

I shouldn't complain because Leela is pretty the most easy going baby ever. But I do wish she would stop biting the dog and the cats. She grabbed two handfuls of Cuddles' skin and bit down. Pup didn't say a word.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

I shouldn't complain because Leela is pretty the most easy going baby ever. But I do wish she would stop biting the dog and the cats. She grabbed two handfuls of Cuddles' skin and bit down. Pup didn't say a word.

Aww. What a good dog. It amazes me how most dogs and cats are extra patient with kids.

my kid is wearing her last option shoes (running shoes) because she refuses to wear the damn shoes she begged me to bring back from the US last time I went. She took them and painted them black, and now refuses to wear them. she claims, two years later, they're still too big. I'm tempted to take all her other shoes away. this stuff kills me. when i was a kid (cue old fart music) i had one pair of shoes and if i even said anything about them i got beaten with a belt, problem solved. sometimes i envy my parents and their discipline options (honestly, no, i don't, but it feels good to vent it.)

We are having a frustrating experience with a nanny agency right now, the net result of which is that a nanny who is not a good fit for our family (she's sweet but has let E trick her into things no babysitter should fall for, she can't correctly apply a diaper whether it's cloth or disposable, and 3 out of the 4 times she has been here, the baby hasn't been wiped sufficiently) and who we said is not our long term match after her first visit is coming again tomorrow. Not only have they not told her we definitively don't want her long term, they told her she's still in the running with 2 other people we are theoretically going to interview if the agency sets it up.

I'm so mad because 1) I want to get my kids settled in with a consistent care provider, 2) I feel like the agency is trying to pressure us into staying with the first person available, which is bull shiitake, and 3) I feel so bad for stringing this girl along when we knew 3 weeks ago she wasn't our match.

I so wish that the place they go Thurs/Fri afternoon had Tuesday available too. Sigh.

I *have* mentioned it to her at each visit, and I have reported the issues we've had/why she's not a fit to the agency. I have about fifteen minutes between when she shows up and when I absolutely need to leave, and I really can't and am not willing to get into much confrontation in that period. A large portion of why we went with an agency this time is because we wanted someone professional, and to not have to do all the weeding out of people who don't have the necessary skills etc ourselves.

I want summer back. My kid is much more fun when I don't have to worry about making him stay focused at school. Studying > Social Life. This is getting exhausting already, one month into the school year.

c&s, I know someone who used to be a nanny in SF for years. She's a doula/mommy now, but I'd bet she knows someone awesome that she could recommend, if you'd like. She and her wife just moved back to the area, but they're in Marin Co, so I don't think she could do it herself. Ah wait, here is the link to her website: http://www.melissakoning.com/

Iz has decided to use the phrases "you really hurt my feelings!" and/or "you made me sad!" any time we say something he doesn't like, i.e., "Iz, please keep that toy out of your mouth" or "You need to taste a little bit of dinner before you decide you don't like it". I don't want to say "that doesn't hurt your feelings", because I don't want him to assume that I don't find his feelings valid, so I'm temporarily at a loss. But seriously, why do you have to say that for every little thing, crazy boy?!

_________________when you realise how perfect everything is, you will tilt you head back and laugh at the sky. -buddha

This is sort of unbelievable to me that anyone would even think that this is okay, especially since we discussed this extensively with the agency when they interviewed us and wrote on all our forms (both the on-call placement papers and the more in depth paperwork) that the nanny is NOT to watch tv/use the computer with E: the nanny they were pushing for us to keep (the one who can't put on diapers and stuff) let E watch Doctor Who all day long today. FOR SIX HOURS.

I am forking livid. This agency talks a big talk about their screening process. How the fork did someone who can't apply a diaper and who thinks it's okay to say yes to a 3 year old's requests to watch tv all day are okay get through any sort of rigorous screening?

I would be livid. I can't believe she let E watch Dr Who for 6 hours. That is beyond the general level of clueless babysitter. I wouldn't trust my kid with anyone who couldn't follow the simple direction of "Child does not watch TV."

I would go with another agency if I could and if not, call the agency and say that you're going to put really shitty reviews of them on every single mom website you know if they don't get you someone who can at least follow directions. Its not like you're asking for Mary Poppins. Though she was pretty crepe at following directions too.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

Refinnej, that name looked really familiar and it turns out that Melissa Konnig is in my mothers group! I haven't met her but she posts on our forum, I live in Marin.

C&S I can ask my mom friends here if they know any good nannies in the Santa Cruz area. Some of me use to live down that way and they may have leads. I would be super pissed, I cannot believe that she let him watch tv for 6 hours!

I would go with another agency if I could and if not, call the agency and say that you're going to put really shitty reviews of them on every single mom website you know if they don't get you someone who can at least follow directions.

and the better business bureau, the local mommy meetups, and they'll be hearing from your lawyer.

(how do you know the kid watched Dr Who for 6 hours, just out of curiosity?)

Oh my Lard, c&s...that's insane! What was the nanny doing this whole time? Was the Magician watching too? Sigh. Definitely time for a different agency, I'd say. I'd ask for a refund of set-up fees, etc. too, keeping the BBB option in mind as mentioned.

@lb, that is really cool! Melissa and I haven't met ever, but we know loads of the same people (IRL), and grew up like 25 miles away from each other. We'd talked about getting together once like 7 years ago, but then she moved to California, and I to Oklahoma. She has been amazingly supportive during my earlier breastfeeding troubles. Is your group a veg group? Otherwise, that's pretty freaky that you ended up in the same group!

Is she veg? How crazy! It is not a veg group, in fact it is a ton of Weston A Price people. I should reach out to her! I just saw her name in a thread about cutting out dairy to ward off sickness! There are a few vegetarians and vegans in our group but lots of them are not and we are poisoning our children with the soy. It's an alternative mothers group, I am one of the mainstream moms since I vax.

Well, the thing is, we never formally interviewed this person. She was sent to us as a one time on call nanny while they were gathering other candidates for us. Supposedly it took them a month to find us other people to interview, so they kept sending her because I didn't want to introduce a different on-call nanny in the mean time.

We have an interview on Saturday morning with someone they picked out for us. I am way open to PPK recs though! There isn't really another agency here so my other option is to go back to Craigslist.

Is she veg? How crazy! It is not a veg group, in fact it is a ton of Weston A Price people. I should reach out to her! I just saw her name in a thread about cutting out dairy to ward off sickness! There are a few vegetarians and vegans in our group but lots of them are not and we are poisoning our children with the soy. It's an alternative mothers group, I am one of the mainstream moms since I vax.

So funny! She's vegetarian (maybe vegan, but I don't think so). Definitely say hello...she's super nice. Just yesterday too, I was posting something on Ariann's FB page and found out that one of her FB friends (who I don't know) is friends with one of my best mates (and serious the nicest person on this planet, ever) from Chicago.

<<sings "It's a Small World" and drives everyone in the Playground to insanity.

Hee! We have a Holistic Mom's group and I would fit in so well and be so happy there, if it wasn't for the fact that the Weston Price folks bring up Bone Broth every single time we get together. There are a bunch of us vegans who are into alternative medicine etc, but we don't feel like organizing a separate group, so we just moan a bit about this one.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

It just occurred to me that Leela's first birthday is in 6 weeks. I would love to have a party for her, but don't feel like I know anyone really, and that makes me feel sad and like a shitty parent.

Her grandmother has seen her 2x and because of all her gossiping and shitstirring, not one of Brett's other family members has come to see her or even called us. And that is generally fine with me except today when I wish we had a family to make a fuss over her and love her. And of course my Dad hasn't seen her and won't meet her unless we fly over there, which isn't happening.

I just wish I had more to offer her. She is such a fantastic person with so much joy and love inside her and she deserves more people around her to see that spark.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.